In the face of deep disconnection and chaotic crises throughout our planet, I have identified five invitations for foundational actions and ways of living, that can lead to us deepening our connection with ourselves and with the Earth in individualized ways, while cultivating harmony on our shared world. These are; to listen, to express, to envision, to reciprocate, and to dance. An open mind and heart will make them most effective.

This thesis examines the three films of the most recent Star Wars trilogy (2015-2019) through a feminist lens, investigating the following question: is the trilogy’s leading woman, Rey, a feminist character throughout her arc? This thesis finds that while the telling of Rey’s story certainly has its feminist moments, it fails in several ways to truly abolish the patriarchal frame/attitude that was ingrained from the first two trilogies, leaving the character of Rey feeling incomplete. As the first female to be the primary protagonist in a Star Wars film, Rey’s strength and light certainly make her a positive female role model for young audiences. However, she is held back by the patriarchal society in which she exists and thus is ultimately reduced to being second-best in her own trilogy to the all-powerful older white men who came before her.

Since the early 2010s, there seems to be a shift from the dominant Eurocentric beauty ideal to a new beauty standard that embodies more ethnic features, reflected in the growing number of women who want to enhance or adopt ethnic features through cosmetic procedures. As more white women adopt this new beauty standard, research into how perceptions of race are shifting is warranted and thus I explore the following question: What can we learn from white women who have undergone cosmetic procedures to appear less white and how are contemporary beauty standards changing perceptions of race?

This paper explores the ways in which diasporic Chinese fans find spaces for reconnection with queer and diasporic identities in fandoms of Chinese slash fiction webnovels, otherwise known as danmei. Specifically, I examine the influence of participation in Western-based, English-speaking danmei fandom on queer and transnational home identies among queer Chinese diaspora. Given existing literature regarding the substantial influence of ethnic media in construction of diasporic identity (Shi 2005, Oh 2013) alongside literature regarding the importance of ethnic queer spaces in negotiating queer diasporic identity (Atay 2015, Tam 2017, Huang 2016), it follows that participation in danmei fandom influences transnational identity for diasporic Chinese fans. Additionally, danmei fandom has already been observed to create queer spaces for fans (Yang & Xu 2016, Martin 2012, Feng 2013). Such existing literature, however, focuses on Chinese fans based in China; I aim to examine how danmei fandom may do the same for diasporic Chinese fans outside of China. Using a grounded theory approach, this paper examines collected survey responses from queer diasporic Chinese danmei fans to reveal that danmei fandom creates a unique space that allows queer diasporic Chinese individuals to reconnect with transnational home identities, reaffirm Chinese identities alongside queer identities, and negotiate the points of conflict between the two -- impacts largely resultant from visibility of queer Chinese diaspora within danmei fandom (following the conclusions drawn from Atay 2015). In addition, I examine the underlying tensions in danmei fandom and limitations of danmei fandom as a space for consolidation of identity, as expressed by a substantial portion of survey participants. For queer diasporic Chinese danmei fans, participation in Western danmei fandom ultimately does allow for reconnection with Chinese identity and reaffirmation of Chinese and queer identities, though such experiences are not necessarily exempt from internal tensions or fandom politics.

In 2020, the nation was hit with a pandemic both physically and socially. Due to COVID-19, media interaction, social media engagement, and online consumerism became necessary. In relation to widespread disease, social outbreaks concerning the black lives matter movement, police brutality, the presidential election and diversity & inclusion, set a call to action for Americans. Top fashion and shoe-manufacturing companies that engage with the public socially, financially, personally and for entertainment were evaluated on their contributions to Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Through external marketing and communication strategies, shoe-wear companies display their approaches to social justice, equity and/or social responsibility. Inclusion & Diversity has different facets including, socioeconomics, gender roles, and race that contribute to how<br/>consumers interact with companies. This paper consists of a literary review, three company audits and analysis, and recommendations. The literary review in the introduction of my paper, explores the approaches to Diversity and Inclusion of shoe-wear companies as a response to social inequity. I conducted three audits to assess the history of Diversity and Inclusion at Nike, Adidas and PUMA to their approaches and commitment to Inclusion and Diversity through their marketing and communication strategies. I then conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis based on the marketing and communications of the<br/>respective companies to gain depth in my findings of sentiment, message strategy, corporate hierarchy, and suggestions for future communications. My analysis provided a conclusion that Diversity and Inclusion in marketing and communication strategies is an essential factor in the growth and success of the company. I identified that each company has areas of opportunity to create more visibility for the LGBTQIA+ ( Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and nonbiary people) community, should continue to produce reports that analyze exactly how they plan to support Diversity and Inclusion and continue displaying their<br/>commitment on social media.